


Do Not Worry

by kittenspawn



Category: Fables - Willingham, The Wolf Among Us
Genre: AU, F/M, Snowby - Freeform, Snowby Week, Wolf!Bigby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-05
Updated: 2015-04-05
Packaged: 2018-03-21 10:11:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3688311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kittenspawn/pseuds/kittenspawn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU in which Bigby and Snow met when she’s a little girl and he’s a little cub. Snippet scenes over several centuries.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Do Not Worry

**Author's Note:**

> Minor content warning for implied rape mentions regarding the dwarf incident.

She knew she wasn’t supposed to go this far into the woods alone, but Rose was sick and her mommy needed special herbs to help make Rose feel better, so Snow ran past the meadow she had explored so many times and into the unfamiliar wall of trees beyond.  


After a few minutes, she found what she was looking for. Snow smiled and laughed,  bending down to pick the flowers. She almost didn’t hear it, it was so faint, but Snow had learned to keep her ears open when in the woods. She stood up, looking around the forest before she heard the sound again.

She followed the quiet noise into a clearing to find a tiny little mass of fur and bones chasing after a large grasshopper. The furry thing growled, though the growl was hardly a squeak, and leapt after the grasshopper again. Snow laughed, covering her mouth as the little thing turned to look at her.

“Don’t **_laugh_** at me!” the tiny creature barked at her when her bright laughter caught his attention, his voice far more brave than his size should allow. Snow stepped out of the cover of the forest, unafraid as she went over to the miniature wolf. He ignored her as best as he could, going about his business of trying to catch the bug.  After a few moments of watching him struggle, Snow took pity on the little beast, stepping her foot out to to crunch the grasshopper under her shoe as it hopped by. “There.” She said proudly, moving her foot from the smooched bug.

The tiny wolf stopped running, his eyes widening in shock. He growled, moving closer to  the little girl who was much bigger than he was. Without a moment of hesitation or fear, he bit her foot. He was very angry she’d taken the days prey from him. 

“OW!” Snow squealed, falling down on her butt as she rubbed her foot.  It hardly even hurt where he’d bit her, only shocked her greatly. “You’re mean! You’re very, _very_ bad!” She scolded the little thing. He raised his head, looking very proud of himself as he walked away from her.

* * *

“Snow, you’re not supposed to go that far. Mama will be mad.” Rose called after her twin sister, who was running into the forest once again.  “But it’s the most beautiful deer I’ve ever seen, Rose. I have to see it again!” Snow called back before she disappeared into the woods. 

She kept running after the lovely doe, hoping to catch another glimpse of it before  it escaped. Once she was deep in the forest, and far away from Rose Red, Snow heard a low, rumbling growl. 

She froze, and the doe who was only a few dozen yard in front of her took off running for its life. Not fast enough. Before the deer could make it into the cover of the brush, a large wolf leapt  from the wood, sinking it’s jaws around the deer’s neck. With considerable effort, it brought the doe to the ground, tearing bits of fur and flesh from her body until he gobbled up every bit of her. 

Snow watched, awestruck and almost afraid as the wolf glumped down piece after piece of the deer. Eventually the wolf turned, cocking his head at her as her eyes widened in fear. He stared at her for a long while, golden eyes narrowing as he sniffed the breeze moving around her. Snow swallowed, expecting the wolf, which was larger than she was, to come for her next.

Instead he snorted, taking a moment to lick the blood from his nose before he spoke. “Can’t squish _this_ one on me, can you, girl?” He chuckled before turning away to slink back into the forest. 

* * *

Her screams could be heard from a great distance, and in spite of her life having been spared by the Huntsman a few hours before, the awful creatures of this new and terrible woods were not so kind. Snow ran, ducking and weaving between the sinister looking trees before she got herself  utterly lost, the sounds of the creatures chasing her closing in rapidly as she continued to run.  


Snow ducked down when she found a small cave, hardly bigger than she was, and curled into a ball to hide. She awaited the monsters to come rip her limb from limb, hiding her head against her knees as she wished and prayed and hoped with all her might she’d survive. That _someone_ would save her from these horrible things.

The sound of great footsteps outside the cave made her tremble with fear as they grew closer and closer. Snow covered her mouth with her hands, hoping to hold back her terrified whimpering. 

She saw a pair of massive black paws stop at the mouth of the cave. Razor like claws clicked against the rock as he sat just outside, not speaking for some time. The creatures who had expected a fine meal of the young girl stopped their pursuit when they caught sight of the gigantic wolf. He was much larger than a grizzly bear by this point, the largest wolf in all the land. 

As the forest quieted down and the moon rose in the sky, Snow’s eyes stayed open, wide with fear and adrenaline. Sniffing the air again, then turning to stick his nose in the cave, the wolf looked at the girl. It was only when she saw his eyes that she recognized him. 

“ _You?!_ ” Snow breathed, nearly reaching out to him without thinking. The wolf pulled back, not wanting to be touched. “Sleep. You can find proper shelter in the morning.” He said firmly, his voice a low but not threatening growl. Snow nodded, a small smile tugging at the edge of her lips as she moved herself to lay down in the small cave. The wolf seemed to ‘accidently’ lay down close enough to allow her to snuggle against him for warmth. And when she did? He made no effort to stop her from touching him that time.

* * *

Years would pass before she’d see him again. Trials and tragedies that would instill in them both deeply running pain and anger that would be all but incurable until centuries later.  


One calm spring day, a beautiful princess broke away from her riding party, her spirited horse outrunning those of her escorts with ease as she rode into the forest surrounding the kingdom. She rode deep into the woods, to a small cottage that was too familiar to her for her own comfort, but the princess pressed on, dismounting her horse and moving towards the cottage door. She had a sword hidden in the woods near the cottage, and by the time she pushed the door open, it was already raised to strike.

After her task was complete, for that day at least, the princess stopped at a small stream not far from the cottage, allowing her horse to drink as she cleaned her blade and her riding cloak. Without any warning, the horse let out a  panicked sound of fear, and ran quickly away. Her hand tightened on her blade as she stood up. 

“And you human’s think these animals _loyal_ to you.” Snow turned, raising her blade to stick in the face of whomever was speaking. “Oh…” She kept the blade up, even as she fought off what might pass as a smile. “You.”

Before her stood the wolf, now even larger than he’d been during their previous encounters, but mostly unchanged. The only difference was a thin scar on his chest that ran down his belly. It was hard to see but noticeable by his thinner than usual fur. Snow found herself staring at it, much to the wolf’s displeasure. He got up, moving towards the water to avoid her intrusive gaze.

Snow, of course, was too bold to _not_ ask. 

“What happened? Who did that to you?” Her voice was almost protective. Angry that someone would dare to do such a thing to him.

“I could ask you the same, Princess.” The wolf stopped drinking to look at her, his expression making it clear he knew _something_ in her had changed since he left her that morning in the forest. There was an air of something else in his words as there were in hers. Guilt, perhaps a protectiveness as well. He wasn’t sure he liked it, but he knew he couldn’t _deny_ it. 

“I am dealing with it, do not worry.” Snow’s attitude was suddenly colder as she looked down at the sword she still held in her hand. “All will be right soon enough.” She assured him with confidence.

He snorted, a familiar sound to her by now. “All will _not_ be right, princess. But you are welcome to tell yourself it will be.” He  could smell the change in her, the innocence and gentleness that had been tore from her time and time again. He was no fool; he’s learned too late what often happened to young girls in these woods. But until the moment he caught her scent again just minutes before, he’d thought her dead, just as all the others had died. 

The wolf moved his head back to the water to begin drinking again. Not wanting to think of what she was doing, or how he seemed to simply _know_ without her saying anything, why she was doing it, Snow once again asked. “How did you come to have that scar?”

The wolf turned sharply, his sharp teeth mere inches from her face in an instant. He growled, the stink of blood and rotting flesh on his breath. Snow swallowed, though she never blinked. After staring at one another for many tense seconds, the wolf turned, heading back into the forest without looking at her again. He had no intention of telling her his vow, his promise to destroy the terrible humans like the ones who had done this to him. Nor did he have any desire to explain why she, and she alone, would find herself spared from his unavoidable wrath. He didn’t even understand why himself, honestly. All he did know is that this girl, this _woman_ , would never fall to harm, but his doing or another’s, so long as he was alive and around to prevent it.   _But he would never tell her that._

“I am dealing with it.” He repeated her words back to her as he blended into the dark forest.  “Do not worry, princess.”

* * *

The screaming of her fellow captives, and the chaos of them all trying to escape in spite of the chains that bound them made thinking _very_ hard. The decapitated body of one of the guards went flying past her, his sword clattering at her feet as his body fell limp on the ground. Snow picked it up swiftly, running towards the monster who was attacking them without a moments pause or even thought. 

She stopped, however, when she saw him, just as he stopped after he’d finished crunched the head of the last goblin thing holding the chain gang imprisoned. The wolf licked his nose and muzzle, trying to get the awful taste away. It looked ridiculous, like a dog who’d eaten something foul. Snow, in spite of herself, laughed as she walked closer to the wolf, no fear in her eyes or her expression. “Don’t _laugh_ at me.” He growled mockingly, no true malice in his voice as she got closer and closer, to the great shock of her fellow prisoners. “We really _must_ stop meeting each other like this.” She smiled as she looked up at him, once again amazed at how much he’d grown.

* * *

“Come with us.” She had her hands buried deep in his fur, tugging on him though he was about ten times her size. “If this new world is what they say, you will not longer have to hide from the Empire’s forces. You will be safe with me--” Snow caught herself too late. “With _us_.”

The wolf, who could hardly feel her hands against his fur yet somehow enjoyed the contact of it anyway, shook his head, a smug look on his face. Almost like a smile. “I will be quite safe here. Do not worry, Princess.” He told her just as he’d told her years before. 

“Snow.” She corrected him, looking up into those glowing golden eyes as she’d done many times before.. “I am...divorced from my prince.” She looked down sheepishly. It was shameful to be divorced in such a time, even if she’d had every right to leave her husband given his actions. “I am not a princess anymore.” Snow admitted softly.

The wolf simply blinked. He’d figured as much given the subtle shift in her scent. She’d not been with her former husband, or any man for that matter, in quite some time. He may have been an animal but the wolf knew bringing the matter up would be rude. Not that he usually _cared_ about being rude to a lowly human. But as always, she was _different_. “In that case, do not worry, _Snow_.” He spoke her name slowly, like he was unsure he should have even be doing it. 

“After all this time,” she smiled very gently at him, an affection in her eyes she’d not allowed anyone to see in many years. “I do not think that is possible.”  Snow looked into his eyes again, reaching one of her hands up to rub his nose gently. “I will always worry for you.” 

Suddenly, the wolf felt very uncomfortable, and pulled away from her and her clinging hands. “Go.” He ordered as he moved away from her. “I will tell others of the gate.” If he could keep himself from eating them, that was. Somehow, that vow he’d made years before didn’t seem so important when he thought about keeping her safe. Making her happy. And he knew that this would make her happy. That, more than anything, was his greatest motivation. 

“Thank you.” Snow tried to step forward, to express her nearly inexpressible gratitude, but before she could he had run off into the forest again, as if she were something he desperately needed to escape.

* * *

Centuries would pass this time, and when they would finally meet again her words would again be much the same as when they’d last met.

“Come with us.” The words were identical, though the girl who stood before him once again has changed even more. The wolf looked down at her hand,  at the small blade she had held out as for him to inspect. He sniffed the tiny weapon, hardly bigger than one of his own teeth, and scowled as best as a creature with no lips could manage. He knew what it was. She’d explained what magic that knife held. What it would do to him with even the smallest of cuts.  “ _They_ will not want me there.” He reminded her, looking away from the blade and her.

“ _I_ want you there.” Snow reminded him insistently, placing the blade back on her belt before reaching out for him even as he tried to move away. “After all these years, I know you are not…” She broke off when he jerked his head around, staring into her eyes as he growled, as if to show her, prove to her, that yes, yes he truly was everything they said he was. A monster. A demon. _The Big, Bad Wolf._

She didn’t even flinch. “I have faith in you, wolf. This is a place of redemption, of new beginnings. You have never once harmed me, though I am very aware that you have harmed and killed many men in your time.” Snow reached out, slowly, and rested her hand on his muzzle. He closed his eyes, almost as if her words were shaming him, rather than the praise she meant them to be. He exhaled sharply, not wanting to pull away from her touch this time.

“Please.” Snow pleaded, reaching her other hand to cup his face as she tried to make him look at her. “Please, come to New Amsterdam with us. With…” she didn’t say it, but even so that was the thing that caused him to open his eyes.

“I will go. I will become this thing, this... _man_.” He sounded disgusted, even as she broke into a wide smile, her arms moving to embrace him tightly around his neck. Without thinking, the wolf raised a great paw up, curling it around the tiny woman gently, minding his claws as he did. 

“Thank you.” She nuzzled her cheek into the plush fur of his neck, the smile on her face clear in her words. Despite all the misgivings he had about the entire situation, and there were _many_ , the wolf smiled himself.  

Perhaps this new world, this new life, wouldn’t be so terrible after all.


End file.
